The U.S. is a global powerhouse on the world stage, and with 95% of the world’s consumers living outside U.S. borders, international markets are impossible to ignore. Therefore, it is imperative to think beyond domestic production as U.S. dairy exports are primed to feed the world and bring real economic value to dairy producers. Export markets don’t magically appear or stay open, however. Improving, maintaining and expanding U.S. dairy market access requires grit, tenacity, resilience and partnerships for sustained impact and growth, and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) is committed to leading the charge.

Who is the U.S. competing against?

The U.S. dairy industry is efficient enough to produce high-quality dairy products to meet domestic demand and supply the world, with 17% of U.S. dairy production being exported. However, there are some serious competitors that foreign buyers also consider, most notably New Zealand, the European Union and other opportunistic sellers. Globally, consumers are well-informed and think about more than just price when it comes to choosing dairy products. They also consider nutrition and health; safety, quality and trust; taste; convenience; and environmental stewardship – all positions of strength for the U.S. industry.

USDEC-USDA partnership

Partnerships are critical to our success in expanding the global footprint for U.S. dairy. USDEC receives the majority of our funding from dairy farmers through the dairy checkoff – administered through Dairy Management Inc. (DMI). We are also fortunate to have the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) as strategic partners through the export market chain. FAS helps preserve market access at the government-to-government level, while over the years it has also provided USDEC with direct monetary support through the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development program (FMD). In recent years, U.S. cooperators including USDEC have received additional FAS funding through the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) and the America First Trade Promotion Program (AFTPP). USDEC uses these funds to build commercial and policy relationships overseas, increase awareness of U.S. dairy, position U.S. dairy as a leader in international fora and strengthen market access in overseas markets. USDEC also has a strong partnership with AMS, which administers and provides oversight of commodity promotion programs, including the dairy checkoff.

Together, USDEC, DMI, FAS and AMS have a common goal: to strengthen U.S. dairy demand and competitiveness. USDEC and FAS partner often, forming a continuous chain from market promotion and technical programming to market access and trade policy.

Defending U.S. dairy’s reputation

Once the U.S. dairy industry begins trading with an overseas market, USDEC works to defend and enhance the reputation of U.S. dairy in that market through promotion campaigns, trade missions, partnerships with food manufacturers and more. A few examples include the following:

• USDEC has launched cheese promotion campaigns on behalf of retailers in the Middle East, trained Japanese chefs on integrating U.S. dairy ingredients into their dishes, and hosted a trade mission to Korea and Japan focused on selling bulk cheese. USDEC has also established partnerships with food manufacturers to promote dairy ingredients, with programs such as Healthy Snacking Workshops in Singapore and Ingredient Training Workshops in Guatemala. Providing technical assistance and food safety compliance programs is another service USDEC offers.
• USDEC organized the Dairy Nutrition Congress (Nutrilact) in Latin America to enhance the knowledge of health officials in the region, encourage greater dairy consumption and promote exports. Nutrilact brought together over 300 health professionals, including nutritionists, physicians, researchers, academics and senior government officials. Renowned experts from leading institutions, including the Mayo Clinic and Harvard University, presented groundbreaking research, clinical trials, and emerging science that challenged misconceptions about dairy and reinforced its important role in healthy diets. The event delivered a world-class scientific program that showcased the latest evidence on the health benefits of dairy foods, and attendees left with an improved understanding of dairy nutrition and a renewed appreciation for the science supporting dairy consumption.
• USDEC coordinated with New Mexico State University and the New Mexico Agriculture Department to offer dairy training seminars to Indonesian dairy farmers in order to build goodwill in a market of growing dairy demand. USDEC has also hosted workshops in both the Middle East and North Africa on the U.S. regulatory system.
• Through USDEC’s vast network of international offices, we maintain long-term buyer relationships and provide hands-on market support to members.

Programs like these are the DNA of what we do at USDEC. They are just a preview of how USDEC uses funding and partnerships to provide intentional programming and expertise to ensure the U.S. dairy industry is positioned as an outstanding partner for food manufacturers, nutritionists, food scientists, chefs and others in the supply chain of any market we pursue. Those value-adds bolster U.S. dairy’s competitive edge even more among our competitors, increasing demand for U.S. dairy products.

Your dairy: Where exports begin

While all these opportunities are exciting, none of them are possible without U.S. dairy farmers and their long-standing commitment to excellence in producing high-quality milk, day in and day out, 365 days a year. USDEC and our members are proud to share that story with potential foreign buyers, a narrative made even more powerful by the product quality standards and environmental stewardship our producers and processors deliver. This is one aspect of the job that we relish: sharing the very credible story of U.S. dairy in every foreign market. One out of every six loads of milk produced in the U.S. ultimately goes into dairy products exported overseas in the form of cheese, milk powder, dairy protein or other ingredients. Therefore, global demand and exports have become a cornerstone of prosperity for America’s dairy farms.

The work ahead

The good news is that the global footprint for U.S. dairy and dairy demand continues to grow. When the North American Free Trade Agreement was implemented in 1994, U.S. dairy exports to Canada and Mexico were approximately $600 million. In 2025, U.S. dairy exports were $4 billion to Canada and Mexico and totaled $9.63 billion to the world. And so far in 2026, U.S. dairy exports are on pace for a record year. This growth is driven by the health halo of dairy and the global trend of consumers eager to consume more dairy products, such as butter, cheese, protein powders and a wide array of dairy ingredients. But, just as the U.S. has seen exports grow, so have our competitors. That means we have our work cut out for us, and USDEC is committed to keeping U.S. dairy competitive on the global stage and remaining a trusted source of consistent high-quality, nutritious dairy products. I recognize it is a privilege to be entrusted with U.S. dairy farmers’ checkoff dollars to help facilitate these opportunities. At USDEC, we take our role seriously to defend the rationale, reputation and reliability of the U.S. dairy industry and to create a trade-enabling environment for U.S. dairy to thrive.

Allison A. Thomas is the chief operating officer for the U.S. Dairy Export Council.

The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) is a nonprofit, independent membership organization that represents the global trade interests of U.S. dairy producers, proprietary processors and cooperatives, ingredient suppliers and export traders. Its mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and assist the U.S. industry to increase its global dairy ingredient sales and exports of U.S. dairy products. USDEC accomplishes this through programs in market development that build global demand for U.S. dairy products, resolve market access barriers and advance industry trade policy goals. USDEC is supported by staff across the United States and overseas in Mexico, South America, Asia, the Middle East and Europe.